Jil Sander bows out in style

Jil Sander's final J+ menswear collection for Uniqlo is the best yet, says our columnist.

BY Gareth Wyn Davies |
07 September 2011

Jacket, £129.90, premium down vest, £69.90, and trousers, £49.90, all by +J

Cashmere and wool coat, £249, by +J

Wool flannel shawl-collar jacket, £129.90, by +J

Shawl-collar knitted jacket, £69.90, by +J

It would be an exaggeration, though only a slight one, to say that tears were shed here when we heard that Jil Sander and Uniqlo would be parting company after three happy years together. But certainly there were a few long faces. I mean,
now
where will we buy fabulously cut work trousers for less than £50? However, perhaps we should draw some consolation from the fact that the designer's final +J collection for the company, which goes into selected branches and online tomorrow, is the biggest and (to my mind) best to date - though its very strength only serves to remind us of just what we will be missing when Uniqlo's shelves have been emptied.

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And what we'll be missing is quietly good design, featuring great tailoring and quality fabrics, at very reasonable prices. I know, radical or what? It's a wonder more companies haven't cottoned on to the idea. I snuck along for a preview of the autumn/winter men's collection a few weeks back and came away longing for a cold snap. The standout piece? For me it was a beautiful, very simple, slim-cut cashmere double-breasted wool top coat, which I have as good as made up my mind to buy, to replace an M&S one that I've worn so much over the past 10 years that it has gone shiny at the elbows. It's a steal at £249.90, when you consider that it could easily pass for mainline Jil Sander or Helmut Lang of old.

I also loved a charcoal flannel blazer with a shawl collar edged in black satin, which you could take preppy, teaming it with blue jeans and a shirt and tie and V-neck sweater, or dressy, with black jeans and a plain shirt buttoned-up to the top puritan-style. Oh, and then, of course, there are the trousers, which fans of past +J ranges will know are among the best out there for the price (£49.90). This season they come in soft flannel, felted wool and brushed cotton. I'll be logging on in the early hours of Thursday, when the pieces go online, to stock up on a few pairs before the hordes descend. They're undoubtedly classics and, given that this is the +J swansong, who knows, they might yet even become collectors' pieces.

The final +J collection will be available
online
from 1am on Thursday September 8 and from 6pm in store at Uniqlo, 311 Oxford Street, London W1, to coincide with Fashion's Night Out. Also available from the Westfield branch, London W12.